Child Development Theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Lev Vygotsky and Sabina Spielrein
Psychoanalysis takes place through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. This method of treatment and the study of mental disorders, known as psychopathology, was a focus point of Sabina Spielrein. She was a student of Sigmund Freud, patient of Carl Jung, and many of her theories of child language were precursors to Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky (Aldridge, 2009). She had strong influences on the works of Freud, Jung, Piaget, and Vygotsky, yet it is rare to see attributed credit. This post will explore variables, paradigms, theories and frameworks of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Lev Vygotsky and Sabina Spielrein. These four remarkable figures of the early twentieth century maintained unique contributions and interpretations to the study of child development.
Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud, was born in Austria to Galician Jewish parents in 1856. He studied to become a neurologist at the University of Vienna and was appointed to become a professor in 1902. As a pioneer of psychoanalysis, Freud’s framework asserted that each person has levels of consciousness. HIs theories contended that the original state of a child’s personality is entirely unconscious and the preconscious and conscious levels arise as the child matures and interacts with the world (Thomas, 2005). Dreams were associated with hallucinations, which made it difficult for children to distinguish between reality and fantasy (Marton, 2002). Moreover, Freud’s paradigm concentrated on psychosexual development of children. His psychoanalytic theory stated that, "items in consciousness can symbolize distressing memories of sexual events from the past that are too threatening to the individual's conscious sense of well-being" (Thomas, 2005, p.112). He used this paradigm to guide his young colleague, Carl Jung, on treatment of his patients.
At twenty years old, Carl Jung began to study medicine at the University of Basel in 1895. Jung was first introduced to Freud by his colleague, Eugen Burgholzli. A strong friendship and professional partnership formed between Freud and the young physician. Jung’s attention was quickly drawn to his first psychoanalytic patient, Sabina Spielrein. Jung often corresponded with his older colleague, Freud, seeking advice for his new patient. The relationship between Jung and Spielrein, “helped Jung to discover completely new spaces in his own eros, a realm that he sincerely believed was confined to his happy marriage” (Etkind, 1997, p.156). Jung's framework provided a foundation of archetypes, which are inclinations on thinking, acting, and one's behavior (Thomas, 2005). Lev Vygotsky was born into a Russian, Jewish family in 1896 and had begun extensive work in the areas of developmental psychology, education, and psychopathology by 1924 (Thomas, 2005). He became a Professor at the Psychological Institute of Moscow University and built upon theories of German philosopher, Karl Marx. His theories strongly split from Piaget’s concepts when, “he described cognitive processes as being determined by the subject’s interactions with his/her social environment rather than emanating from his/her own internal functioning” (Santiago-Delefoss & Delefoss, 2002, p.728). As contended by Vygotsky, “patterns and levels of thinking are products of the activities practiced in the social institutions of the culture in which the individual grows up” (Thomas, 2005, p.230). His theory of development viewed children engaging in activities and constructing the meaning of the new information in their mind. Vygotsky’s paradigm has changed the way educators conceptualize children’s interactions (Mooney, 2013). His theory asserted that development is interactive, therefore, children can help each other learn. Children learn through forming relationships, interacting with peers, responding to peers, and responding to emotional cues. He argued that during the earliest stage of production, sophisticated cognitive concepts such as problem solving occurred (Langford, 2005). Vygotsky’s works were suppressed until years later due to political unrest and controversy within the Soviet Union. He was a member of the developing Russian Psychoanalytic Society, which Sabina Spielrein was also a member (Santiago-Delefoss & Delefoss, 2002).
Sabina Spielrein was born in Russia in 1885 to a wealthy Jewish family. She was the eldest of five siblings and was described by her mother as being “always ill as a child”. Her father was a businessman who suffered from mental instability. He repeatedly threatened suicide and was an unhappy man (Covington & Wharton, 2003). Her mother was known to be an anxious hysterical woman. Both parents were said to have hit their daughter on numerous occasions as well as possible sexual abuse from her father (Covington & Wharton, 2003). Spielrein’s sister died at a young age from typhoid, which incited her own mental deterioration at age 18. Sabina Spielrein was admitted to the mental clinic, Burghölzli, for nine and a half months from 1904 until 1905. Although she was a highly intelligent girl, records indicated that Spielrein was suffering from obsessional fantasies, torments, and hysteria (Covington & Wharton, 2003). During her admission to the clinic, she fell in love with the young attending physician, Carl Jung. At the time, Jung had read Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams (1900) and adopted his psychoanalysis techniques in the treatment of his female patient. Jung was The two began an affair, frequently corresponding through letters, but eventually ended by Jung. Still under Jung’s care, Sabina proceeded to medical school at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Her research was in the areas of child analysis and developmental Psychology. She was one of the first and youngest women to publish in psychoanalysis (Noth, 2014). She published several psychoanalytic essays on children and dream analysis. She became Jean Piaget’s analyst and worked closely with him for eight months. Her publications prove that she was a pioneer in cognitive and linguistically founded psychoanalysis and was doing research on the development of children’s speech and thought before she met Piaget (Santiago-Delefoss & Delefoss, 2002). Spielrein’s framework and theories differentiated between primary languages and social languages as well as theorizing the meaning of a mother’s nursing process (Noth, 2014). Her work underlined many of Freud and Jung's findings. Her publications and pioneering contributions still remain unnoticed. In 1942, the Germans had invaded Rostow and Spielrein and her daughters were killed with the rest of the Jews of Rostow (Noth, 2014).
According to the psychoanalytic theory, demanding and punitive child-rearing practices result in a flooding of repressions. Thomas (2005) contended that the movement of cognitive psychology gained attention and researchers developed a methodology derived from psychoanalytic, cognitive, and psychophysiological theories, theorists were able to study the unconscious alongside brain activity. This significant movement had a great influence on child development theories and sparked new interests in understanding states of consciousness.
Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud, was born in Austria to Galician Jewish parents in 1856. He studied to become a neurologist at the University of Vienna and was appointed to become a professor in 1902. As a pioneer of psychoanalysis, Freud’s framework asserted that each person has levels of consciousness. HIs theories contended that the original state of a child’s personality is entirely unconscious and the preconscious and conscious levels arise as the child matures and interacts with the world (Thomas, 2005). Dreams were associated with hallucinations, which made it difficult for children to distinguish between reality and fantasy (Marton, 2002). Moreover, Freud’s paradigm concentrated on psychosexual development of children. His psychoanalytic theory stated that, "items in consciousness can symbolize distressing memories of sexual events from the past that are too threatening to the individual's conscious sense of well-being" (Thomas, 2005, p.112). He used this paradigm to guide his young colleague, Carl Jung, on treatment of his patients.
At twenty years old, Carl Jung began to study medicine at the University of Basel in 1895. Jung was first introduced to Freud by his colleague, Eugen Burgholzli. A strong friendship and professional partnership formed between Freud and the young physician. Jung’s attention was quickly drawn to his first psychoanalytic patient, Sabina Spielrein. Jung often corresponded with his older colleague, Freud, seeking advice for his new patient. The relationship between Jung and Spielrein, “helped Jung to discover completely new spaces in his own eros, a realm that he sincerely believed was confined to his happy marriage” (Etkind, 1997, p.156). Jung's framework provided a foundation of archetypes, which are inclinations on thinking, acting, and one's behavior (Thomas, 2005). Lev Vygotsky was born into a Russian, Jewish family in 1896 and had begun extensive work in the areas of developmental psychology, education, and psychopathology by 1924 (Thomas, 2005). He became a Professor at the Psychological Institute of Moscow University and built upon theories of German philosopher, Karl Marx. His theories strongly split from Piaget’s concepts when, “he described cognitive processes as being determined by the subject’s interactions with his/her social environment rather than emanating from his/her own internal functioning” (Santiago-Delefoss & Delefoss, 2002, p.728). As contended by Vygotsky, “patterns and levels of thinking are products of the activities practiced in the social institutions of the culture in which the individual grows up” (Thomas, 2005, p.230). His theory of development viewed children engaging in activities and constructing the meaning of the new information in their mind. Vygotsky’s paradigm has changed the way educators conceptualize children’s interactions (Mooney, 2013). His theory asserted that development is interactive, therefore, children can help each other learn. Children learn through forming relationships, interacting with peers, responding to peers, and responding to emotional cues. He argued that during the earliest stage of production, sophisticated cognitive concepts such as problem solving occurred (Langford, 2005). Vygotsky’s works were suppressed until years later due to political unrest and controversy within the Soviet Union. He was a member of the developing Russian Psychoanalytic Society, which Sabina Spielrein was also a member (Santiago-Delefoss & Delefoss, 2002).
Sabina Spielrein was born in Russia in 1885 to a wealthy Jewish family. She was the eldest of five siblings and was described by her mother as being “always ill as a child”. Her father was a businessman who suffered from mental instability. He repeatedly threatened suicide and was an unhappy man (Covington & Wharton, 2003). Her mother was known to be an anxious hysterical woman. Both parents were said to have hit their daughter on numerous occasions as well as possible sexual abuse from her father (Covington & Wharton, 2003). Spielrein’s sister died at a young age from typhoid, which incited her own mental deterioration at age 18. Sabina Spielrein was admitted to the mental clinic, Burghölzli, for nine and a half months from 1904 until 1905. Although she was a highly intelligent girl, records indicated that Spielrein was suffering from obsessional fantasies, torments, and hysteria (Covington & Wharton, 2003). During her admission to the clinic, she fell in love with the young attending physician, Carl Jung. At the time, Jung had read Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams (1900) and adopted his psychoanalysis techniques in the treatment of his female patient. Jung was The two began an affair, frequently corresponding through letters, but eventually ended by Jung. Still under Jung’s care, Sabina proceeded to medical school at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. Her research was in the areas of child analysis and developmental Psychology. She was one of the first and youngest women to publish in psychoanalysis (Noth, 2014). She published several psychoanalytic essays on children and dream analysis. She became Jean Piaget’s analyst and worked closely with him for eight months. Her publications prove that she was a pioneer in cognitive and linguistically founded psychoanalysis and was doing research on the development of children’s speech and thought before she met Piaget (Santiago-Delefoss & Delefoss, 2002). Spielrein’s framework and theories differentiated between primary languages and social languages as well as theorizing the meaning of a mother’s nursing process (Noth, 2014). Her work underlined many of Freud and Jung's findings. Her publications and pioneering contributions still remain unnoticed. In 1942, the Germans had invaded Rostow and Spielrein and her daughters were killed with the rest of the Jews of Rostow (Noth, 2014).
According to the psychoanalytic theory, demanding and punitive child-rearing practices result in a flooding of repressions. Thomas (2005) contended that the movement of cognitive psychology gained attention and researchers developed a methodology derived from psychoanalytic, cognitive, and psychophysiological theories, theorists were able to study the unconscious alongside brain activity. This significant movement had a great influence on child development theories and sparked new interests in understanding states of consciousness.
References
Aldridge, J. (2009). Another woman gets robbed? What Jung, Freud, Piaget, and Vygotsky took from Sabina Spielrein. Childhood Education, (85)5, 318-319.
Covington, C. & Wharton, B. (2003). Sabina Spielrein: Forgotten pioneer of psychoanalysis.
New York, NY: Routledge.
Etkind, A. (1997). Eros of the impossible: The history of psychoanalysis in Russia. Boulder, CO: Aldridge, J. (2009). Another woman gets robbed? What Jung, Freud, Piaget, and Vygotsky took from Sabina Spielrein. Childhood Education, (85)5, 318-319.
Covington, C. & Wharton, B. (2003). Sabina Spielrein: Forgotten pioneer of psychoanalysis.
New York, NY: Routledge.
Westview Press.
Langford, P. (2005). Vygotsky’s developmental and educational psychology. New York, NY:
Psychology Press. Marton, E. (2002). My name was Sabina Spielrein [Motion picture]. Sweden: Facets.
Mooney, C. (2013). Theories of childhood: An introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson,
Piaget, and Vygotsky. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.
Noth, I. (2014). “Beyond Freud and Jung”: Sabina Spielrein’s contribution to child
psychoanalysis and developmental psychology. Pastoral Psychol, (64), 279-286. doi:
10.1007/s11089-014-0621-5
Santiago-Delefoss, M.J. & Delefoss, J.M. (2002). Spielrein, Piaget and Vygotsky: Three
positions on child thought and language. Theory and Psychology, 12(6), 723-747.
Thomas, R. (2005). Comparing theories of child development. (6th ed). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.
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